Music is my Escape
by LittleLunarFirefly
Summary: Gakushu was a violinist who lived too flat. Nagisa was a passionate pianist who lived too sharp. Neither of these pressured musicians expected to relate to each other in any way, but when they suddenly become siblings, they come to realize the world certainly does have a perfect note... somewhere. [Requested by Shiranai Atsune] Fem!Nagisa (First chapter's more thoughts than action)
1. Chapter 1

**Heyo! I am back and with a new story! Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Ansatsu Kyoshitsu!**

 **Read and Review! Constructive criticism is allowed! :3**

 **Btw, this chapter may be a little more detail than dialogue since I wanna just get everything out there before diving into the rest of the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Asano's Melody**

Music.

It was such a strange concept. There were all kinds of genres like classical, pop, jazz, romantic, rock, blues, etc. despite the fact that they all served as one being and purpose: to entertain. Notes read off of a page and transformed into a story, be it tragic or like a fictional fairytale. Lyrics were able to let the story become more animated with actual words describing what had happened. Heartbreak, a true love story, friendship. All of these concepts were all rolled into the one, beautiful concept no one could ever dream of living without, regardless of genre. That was music.

Asano Gakushu was a fan of classical music. Composers like Mozart, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Bartok, Chopin, and Vivaldi. They all produced brilliance without words, but with emotion and focus. Sure, he liked pop. He knew what most kids his age listened to nowadays, but the more complex pieces with different tones and rhythms fascinated him more than repetitive and cutesy pop or rap that had no actual variation in notes. He liked the way he could play the pieces with swift fingers, a rich sound, and impress everyone by just playing a simple tune on the classical instrument.

Playing his violin was how Gakushu enjoyed spending his free time. If he wanted to get away from homework, or-his father forbid- procrastinate his work, he'd turn to the expensive instrument and practice until the calluses on his fingertips grew sore and hard. However, things were different now. He couldn't get way with his music being the only thing filling up the quiet house he lived in.

Now, there was a pianist living with him. She'd play a piece by Beethoven for hours and hours to the point where silence was barely an option. In Gakushu's opinion, it was almost irritating as to how long she had done it. He could admire fellow classical musician, however there was a limit. He figured it was the reason why her grades were dropping so much; she practiced instead of doing her homework.

Monday morning, he heard a new piece. She was there in the music room when he woke up, eyes closed with emotion as her nimble fingers danced across the keys energetically. She still had bed hair and was still dressed in her silk nightgown, but she was practicing. It was a new piece, but nearly perfect already. Maybe that was what irritated him so much.

In academics, he won against her, no argument there. However, in music, she could get a piece to perfection in a matter of days. She was the quintessence of musical perfection. She was the one person Gakushu had not expected to be interested in classical music. Usually she was so timid, one wouldn't expect her to produce such an intense fortissimo. Usually she was so shy, one wouldn't expect her to sharpness of a knife. Usually, she was so happy and upbeat that the mature appeal of classical music wouldn't be expected to interest her.

"What's this piece called?" he asked on his way to the kitchen where their maid was preparing breakfast. She looked at him with the blankest eyes, her face pale with exhaust. Thinking back to it, the girl had barely smiled _genuinely_ since arriving. Then again, neither had he. Neither had a reason to be happy with current situations, but they both sucked it up. They didn't argue, nor did they violently reject the idea, but they didn't exactly accept it either.

The girl pushed a strand of pale blue hair behind her ear and nodded over to the sheet music sitting atop the stand. "Chopin's Ballade Number one in G minor, Opus twenty-three?" he recited, squinting a bit. "You're on to Chopin now, Shiota? I thought it was still Beethoven."

The cerulean-eyed girl with the sky blue hair gave a small laugh. "I performed Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata-

"Opus twenty-seven, Number two, third Movement?" Asano looked at her with a challenging smirk. Nagisa responded to the childish act by rolling her eyes and taking the music off the stand, ready to close it for school.

"Yes," she admitted, "I performed it at the local music hall just yesterday, but... you probably didn't hear about it."

Her responses were usually short, but calm. It seemed to also be the tone she took with her mother sometimes. She seemed so collected and aloof when she did this, but Gakushu could tell. He couldn't be a genius and not read obvious signs. Her collectiveness was a cover up for intimidation, distaste. She wasn't too fond of him, but that much was obvious. His associates in the main building had been tormenting her and her friends for the few months they'd been in their set classes for year 3.

"I didn't." he told her before ending their conversation there.

* * *

It was strange. It was June when Nagisa had learned of her mother's relationship with her frightening chairman that had apparently been going on for over a year. Strange considering she hadn't noticed any change in either person's behavior throughout the entire thing. She had concluded that her mother had been a better actress than she credited her to be.

Now, not only had she gone from living in a basic apartment to a large, contemporary house that favored glass above all for walls, but she also went from living as the only musician, to sharing the space with a violinist who used music in a similar manner as she. She gained a new father as well as a younger brother. Granted, he wasn't younger by much. She was born in June, and he in January, so only a good few months apart.

Nagisa knew her younger brother was smart, but she was a lot smarter than he gave her credit for. She noticed how he played music to escape his homework, or to pretend he didn't hear whatever his father had asked of him. That same reason was why she distracted herself with piano all day. Her mother had always urged her to do better in her studies, and she was, but studying wasn't everything. The piano produced a large, filling sound that distracted Nagisa from anything said around her. As long as she played, her mother wasn't controlling her. The piano was a free realm for her to explore, and a distraction from the pressure that was set on her shoulders.

After all, now she was the daughter of the chairman. It was either perfection or nothing. Nagisa knew she wasn't as smart as her step-brother, but maybe perfecting the music more than she already did was enough.

"Asa- Shuu," Nagisa called him by the nickname she was told to use by their father. The two were almost ready to leave the house, tidying up their bags and packing their lunches. He turned to her, humming a bit in response. His tie had been crooked ever since he left the bathroom which had irked her to no end. Her habit of organization had began after spending a day at Karma's place where his liberty took too much space. Rather than studying and, or, playing video games like they had intended, Nagisa assisted him in his cleanup. He was pretty sulky about it, but she made him get over it.

Nagisa reached over as he put on his shoes and she abruptly yanked the tie, nearly choking the poor boy. Her face flushed bright red as this happened. Half of her felt the need to laugh when he practically dropped the piece of extra toast he had been stuffing his face with, but the other half took pity on him. "Sorry!"

"Were you trying to kill me, Shiota?" he gagged, trying to recover from the recent activity. His tie was set right now, but it seemed his condition got worse. Nagisa innocently slipped on her shoes, coming up with a quick way to fire back that insult.

"Your fault for moving when I tried fixing your messy tie."

she didn't dare wait for a reaction from her scary step-brother, but she ended up giggling almost the entire way to class after hearing some sort of animal call from the house.

At school, no one knew of their situation. To Class-E, she was still Shiota Nagisa, a regular girl who lived with her mom. She wasn't a rich and graceful Asano like how she acted at home, but it was clear that she was ultimately trying harder with academics.

"Mornin', Nagisa!" Sugino Tomohito, a baseball player in her class, waved to the female Asano and beckoned her over to where he, Kayano Kaede, and Akabane Karma were hanging at. Her face lit up with a lively smile etched onto her face. She ran over to occupy the seat beside her friend with the green hair.

"Did you finish yesterday's math assignment?" Sugino asked. "It was horrid. I always thought I'd be closer to the answer, but no! Somehow the stupid thing comes out as fractions!"

"Ugh, barely." Nagisa breathed, trying to forget about the nightmarish subject. She has stayed up till midnight the previous night trying to finish her work, but eventually gave up after getting the same (wrong) fraction five times in a row. After that, she practiced piano and vented her frustration into notes which did help, but it also woke up her mother which was never good.

"It was easy!" Karma sang. "Gaussian elimination is super easy. Just a matter of observation."

Kaede made a noise of distaste and cringed. "Yuck. Karma, you can only say that 'cause you're a genius. We're ordinary kids in our third year of middle school. This is high school stuff."

Nagisa and Tomohito nodded behind her, gazing at Karma with judging eyes. Karma made a mock gasp of betrayal. "What? Are you saying I'm not normal?"

Making a face, Nagisa tried to explain in the most "delicate" manner possible, "Karma, there are a lot of different ways to describe you, but I'd never use normal. Ever."

The redhead let out a small chuckle before leaning back in his chair, tilting it to an angle so that it didn't fall, but could still support his weight as it tilted. They continued to chatter bout trivial things. Nagisa didn't bring up her piano, her mother, her step-father, step-brother, her new aim towards "perfection", or her real change of a surname. She was just Nagisa to them, and to them, Nagisa was the same shy and playful girl they all knew and loved.

Thinking about it made her smile. She never showed them what she was like outside of their little safe haven of a classroom, and she didn't plan to. She liked being herself, not the princess she was pressured to be, and since they didn't know of her musical talent, they never made her play for their own selfish entertainment like most do when their acquaintances play what they feel is a complex instrument.

"You okay, Nagisa?" Karma called, laughing a bit. "You have a strange smile on your face."

Nagisa's cheeks heated up and she gave a little fake cough, making it obvious she was composing herself. "Sorry, I was thinking."

"About what?" Kaede's eyebrows lifted with mischief. "A boy? It's a boy isn't it? Who is it? Karma?"

"I'm flattered!" Karma cheered, laughing along with Kaede as they teased their little friend. Nagisa whined and tried to escape them, unable to take any more embarrassment. "Stop it!"

"Oh! I smell romance! What's up!" Nakamura Rio joined the conversation and Nagisa released a breath, giving up on trying to persuade her friends to cease the mockery.

* * *

Asano Gakushu had little to enjoy about school. The "friends" he had spoke about things he never related to, or never really cared about, and no one in the class fit his interests well enough. One could've concluded that the idol of the school, Asano Gakushu, was isolated. It wasn't that making friends was super hard, but his interest in his peers continued to decline as time went on. Honestly speaking, the only person who'd ever rival him academically was that redheaded delinquent with the personality of the devil, Akabane Karma.

Not like he'd ever admit it to his face.

Though recently, Gakushu had faced another person to pique his interest. That attention of his went to his new older sister. Shiota- No, _Asano_ Nagisa was no genius, academically anyways. She always attacked the most difficult of songs head on and didn't stop until she achieved perfection. In that case, they were slightly more similar, but in different fields. Unlike her usual timid self that honestly had no backbone (with the exception of a few odd times, he spectated), when she even touched a sheet of music, it was like any other noise in the world had disappeared. She'd never hear anything other than the notes printed on the paper and her finger's played the most emotional melody the youngest Asano had ever heard, and that sure meant something. The way he noticed her wasn't romantic in any way like how an outsider would see it as, but with a rivaling interest. He saw her as appropriate competition.

Not like he'd ever say it to her face either, though. After all, they were on mutual terms which meant they weren't supposed to hold any sort of "like" towards each other, but they weren't going to hate each other either.

"I can't believe this," he muttered, messing up his usually neatly combed hair that fell across his forehead evenly. "I find the most appropriate people in that wretched Class-E."

After classes, Gakushu had remained in the classroom to continue his homework. His earbuds were in, already listening to his current solo piece. It was a set piece for his next competition to which he already knew he'd win. Though, extra practice did deliver a much better meaning than dominance. Diligence always shone more than basic talent.

"Asano, you're going to just stay?" Sakakibara Ren called from the classroom door. Silence greeted him back and Ren's eyes moved to Asano's left hand which was testing its limits by drastically drumming and slamming itself onto the desk as his right hand continued to easily solve the problems that had been assigned for that day. Despite his hand not being in the right position for his violin, it was good practice for his precision as to which fingers to press down and when.

"Leave him be," Tomoya Seo told him, throwing his head back as he walked out of the classroom. "He's listening to music, so there's no way you're getting his attention."

Ren, already knowing this, simply shut the door behind him and continued to walk with his friend, another one of the Five Virtuosos.

It was almost an hour later when Gakushu was completely finished and was pretending to hold his instrument and bow, dramatically swinging his arms as though he himself were playing. It would've been humiliating had anyone else seen him doing such ridiculous movements. Little did he know, someone was already watching.

At the finish of the song, Gakushu lifted his exhausted bow arm into the air, concluding his fake playing with every movement giving the sign that he was finished. Then, Gakushu heard clapping behind him. Dread pooled into his stomach as he snapped his head to the back. Behind him was a familiar bluenette who had stopped clapping, holding her bag over herself protectively as though his very gaze would've hurt her. Though, with the look he believed he was giving, it might as well have.

His older sister of musical perfection was clapping at the younger brother of academic perfection. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, letting go of the fists he hadn't even realized he'd been making. Relief washed over him when he realized it wasn't anyone who'd dare spread rumors of him.

"The cha- I mean, Dad said to meet with you here since he had a meeting to attend." she explained, not really giving elaborate details over the subject. Gakushu rubbed the back of his neck, frowning as he realized his dad was using this as a chance for them to... uh, "bond".

Neither of them were stupid or in lack of common sense. Both of them already knew that the intention of them bonding wasn't a simple family matter, but another step in building that so-called "ideal" family their parents were obsessed with. The mother hen of the group was already obsessive over Gakushu's older sister. He had seen it before when she tried to dress the poor girl in dresses and tie up her hair as though she were a doll to be played with. Like him, she was put under a ton of pressure, though once more, they were in different fields.

Likewise, Nagisa had seen the way her step-father had stared at Gakushu when he got a 98 on a recent math quiz. It was a smile, but there was nothing kind about it. She had even witnessed Gakushu turning pale and she had noticed the sweat dampening the quiz in his hands. She had also gotten that smile when she took her last math quiz and just managed to slide by, but this time her mother joined him on it. It had gotten Nagisa to study a bit more, but nothing was really helping her.

"I suppose we can walk home without him." Gakushu told her. Even though they'd been siblings for the past three months, it was hard to act remotely normal around each other. They had deeply despised one another until that point, but both had realized that neither of them were too bad. They had come to a point of "half" acceptance, but loving each other was kind of a stretch.

"Yeah," she replied, shouldering her bag. Nagisa stepped into the halls to wait for him, lucky to know that no one was even left in the building. When he came out, they silently began their way back to their home.

"Hey, Shio- Nagisa," he said her name so uncomfortably that it nearly made Nagisa cringe. "Yes?"

"You..." he began, trying to find the right words to spill out of his mouth. "You like Akabane, right?"

The sudden question caused Nagisa to trip over her own two feet and smash her face right against the pavement clumsily. Gakushu stared at her with the widest eyes as he tried to figure out the process of that fall. "S-Sorry?"

"You're fine," Nagisa assured, flustered as she picked herself up and dusted off her clothes. The scene replayed itself over in her head and she braced herself for the insults to come, her face red with embarrassment. They did come, but they didn't seem as harsh as she expected. Instead, they were more... playful?

"How can someone even trip over their own two feet?" he asked, doubling over in genuine laughter with no malice. Nagisa had rarely ever seen the strict boy laughing, so she couldn't help but stare as he tried to control his breathing. She had to wonder how something so simple as tripping was a way to break his heart of stone, even for just a bit? Not to mention, he had never smiled in the past three months.

"What?" he demanded lightly, breathing heavily from his sudden fit. "Is there something on my face?"

"Yeah," Nagisa shrugged before trying to use an appeal to familiarity. "There was a smile, but I had thought it was a myth for you this entire time. Sorry." she tried to act as genuine as she could.

Gakushu's face flushed red right up to his ears and he moved forwards, his pace suddenly increasing as his frown came back into play. Nagisa held back a small laugh as she moved to catch up to him. Sometimes they had these little moments that they never saw significance of even though kindness had never really been a thing between them. That was just how they were. Gakushu himself didn't even know why he had laughed over something so simple. Maybe it was because of how obvious she was being? Or maybe he had just needed a breather and his mind chose that exact moment to let go? Either way, they continued their walk home in silence that wasn't as awkward as before.

The two were polar opposites, yet perfectionists under the pressure of their parents who breathed down their necks. Their personalities couldn't be further apart, but they both saw some kind of shine within each other. They weren't close yet, and maybe they never would be in a childish attempt o rebel against their parent's wishes. However, maybe one day they'd feel more comfortable to admit that being around each other wasn't so bad. At least, not that much. That was their constant melody.

Gakushu glanced at his shorter companion before lightly coughing and opening up his mouth as she fished for the house keys in her bag.

"Your crush is really obvious when you text him all day and all night, by the way."

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 **Alright! I'm finished! Hope you guys enjoyed it and don't forget to review! I know this chapter is a little slow, and maybe a bit dry, but this was just the opener, so I promise it'll get better in the next chapters! Thanks and love for all! 3**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back with chapter 2!**

 **Warning: the use of first names will be prominent here even though their names aren't used as often, but don't worry, I'll usually give the first name first.**

 **I don't own Ansatsu!**

 **ENJOY**

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Chapter 2: Even the Saddest of Songs Find Resolve Pt. 1

"Sparring again?" Kaede whined as the girls got dressed for PE. "My muscles still hurt from sparring with Itona last time. He could've killed me, ya know!"

Nagisa released a light laugh and pulled the blue shirt over her head. "You're overreacting, Kaede. I was sparring with Karma yesterday."

All of the girls fell silent with their chatters as she mentioned this and crowded Nagisa, patting her on the back for comfort. It was intended in a comedic way, but everyone knew how much of an advantage Karma had on nearly everyone. As a delinquent, his abilities exceeded that of a normal teenager, and especially if it was Nagisa. True, Nagisa was a girl, but Krma saw gender as no reason to hold back. She had a lot, if not too much, potential to beat him by observation and agility, which was why he enjoyed going all out with her. Usually, both of them would end up with a scratch or two, and they'd laugh it off. Nagisa loved Karma, but she was ready to be done being his partner.

"Girls, hurry on out! The boys are getting impatient!" Irina Jelavic called, carelessly throwing the door open. Many of the girls released high-pitched shrieks and ran for cover while the other girls stared at their teacher in disbelief.

Nagisa, just wishing to be somewhere peaceful and quiet, pulled Kaede out with her and left the rest of the girls to complain and shriek at the shameless teacher. Kaede giggled a little at the scene they left behind, but made conversation with her best friend. She spoke of her upcoming role in a drama where she gets a love interest for once.

"Plan on flirting with him?" Nagisa teased, watching how gushy her friend got when bragging about him being a Tokyo model who was quickly rising in popularity for his hot looks and halfie blue eyes. Kaede swiveled to meet her friend's gaze, her mouth open with shock. Nagisa smirked back, "What? You need a boyfriend soon."

"Nagi, no!" Kaede exclaimed, disturbed by her friend's suggestion. Nagisa found it fun to find an opportunity to poke at her friend's love life since the class was constantly teasing her about hers. She gave a shrug and continued to where the boys were, ignoring Kaede's scream behind her. She released tired yawn, to which Karma mimicked her. Nagisa rolled her eyes and lightly nudged his ribs, unable to hold back a grin.

When all the girls arrived at the scene, Tadaomi Karasuma began to call out sparring partners. They were told it's to be another boy vs. girls challenge which always made the girls anxious. Sure it was a way to train them all equally, but there was that undeniable strength the boys had over the lot of them (not all). Granted, the girls were typically more observant, but in terms of physical strength, maybe Hinata and a few others hd the advantage. "-Karma Akabane and Manami Okuda! And Nagisa Shiota and Ryoma Terasaka! That's it, now move!"

Nagisa was honestly dreading this sparring match like all the other girls. She had worked herself a bit too long with her new piece the previous night and was sleep deprived with aching fingers. Even though the performance was a month away, she needed to devote her time to studying for midterm exams. She was an Asano now. Their father had let her grades slip by the past few times, which was already a miracle, but that was because Nagisa was still new to the family and was in Class-E. However, after a discussion at the dinner table, she was put up to the same impossible standards to her stepbrother. She wondered if Karma would help her study, then quickly dismissed the the thought, knowing they'd only end up playing video games.

"Nagisa!"

Nagisa snapped alert and barely missed Ryoma's knife which had pulled back a few strands of hair. Her eyes were wide with panic as she realized the match had already begun, and she hadn't even noticed. Turning behind her, Nagisa realized it had been Karma who had called out her name, a hint of worry on his face. To make him focus, she gave him a cool smile, the one she always gave in those chilling assassination attempts. But, now it was used for reassurance.

When Karma gave a relieved look and returned to his own match with the petrified girl, Ryoma charged at her once more. This time, Nagisa managed to leap into the air and whip out her own knife, getting into a ready stance. Unafraid by the sudden atmosphere change, Ryoma tried another tactic and feigned swinging the knife from his left, then dived with the right. "This isn't your win, Nagisa!"

"Oh really?" to mask her surprise, Nagisa dodged and had that same grin Karma would often display when he was losing his sanity which was surprisingly often. "Let me remind you who's more experienced with a real knife!"

She knew she sounded arrogant and overconfident, just like Karma. But when she was still trying to focus and piece together a plan, the most she could do was try and petrify him into hesitating. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be working. Ryoma looked a little too confident that day.

"But it's clear who's more focused!"

Nagisa let a curse slip through her lips as she lost footing, her vision beginning to swim and her muscles started to feel heavy, desperate for a rest. This match would've been her lost, the first one in a very long while, but with her hazy state of mind, Nagisa didn't feel like losing that day. She gritted her teeth and flipped her body so that Ryoma's upcoming knife dug into the ground where she once was. With one party being a little too determined, and the other being too aloof, the fight grew intense. Nagisa was acting too sloppy, and it wasn't unnoticed.

"Nagisa, your foot!" Kaede exclaimed, already finished with her match when she noticed Nagisa's ankle twisting, destined for a fall. Her friend noticed and attempted to stand upright, but Ryoma brought his fist into the fight. It wasn't against the rules, but man did that punch in the stomach hurt.

Nagisa rolled onto the dirt floor, finally going limp. She just wanted to hurry up and sleep, and the ground was feeling a bit too comfortable. _Just let him win!_ She told herself, closing her eyes as she prepared for the final blow. However, having her assassination instincts, she felt the danger looming above her and threw herself further away and regained balance. The spot she landed on was marked with pebbles which caused Ngisa to lose footing once more, and her stomach gave a foreboding flip as she tumbled down the hill as a result.

Nagisa painfully crashed into a tree and she let out a painful shriek as she cradled her hand closer to her. That didn't feel or sound good. Noticing the looks of mortification on her classmates faces, she didn't look very good either.

"Nagisa!" Kaede shrieked and rushed by her side. Nagisa released a low groan of pain and felt herself growing heavier again. She just wanted the throbbing pain to stop, and her vision was growing blurry. The last thing she managed to see was Karma rushing towards her, yelling her name.

* * *

Nagisa had a pleasant dream, but it was a dream she'd never admit was pleasant. She was in the living room, watching the TV and laughing with Gakushuu at her side. She felt him poke her side, where she was ticklish, and didn't hesitate to retaliate with a pillow. Gakuho was preparing the table as he chuckled at the set of children, and Hiromi was cooking dinner, allowing for the warm smell of beef to fill their noses. She chided them for being too loud, to which the two responded with cheeky grins. It all seemed too happy, or too ideal to be true. But just aspiring such a family-like bond in that house when she couldn't get her mother to listen to her for almost all her life, Nagisa wasn't supposed to be dreaming about such things. It didn't seem like Gakushuu had gotten his way with his father either. Her hopes for ever returning to a warm home was gone. The most she'd been able to do was get the slightest glance from their father when her grades moved up a bit, and a smile from their mother when she wore the dresses she picked out. Gakushuu was a bit more understanding, but they were nowhere near being that comfortable with each other. They were still a little awkward, but less of strangers than before.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

Nagisa opened her eyes when the fantasy was over, wondering what that noise was. A bomb for their teacher? A metronome? She didn't know. Her eyes were still adjusting, but they captured the scenery of white everywhere and a dark window, making it clear that it was already sometime in the evening. The sound came from the heart monitor beside her, so Nagisa figured she was at the hospital.

"Nagisa, you're awake!" Karma's voice came from the right and Nagisa turned her head to follow it. Still seeing blurs, Nagisa tried to blink them away until she saw Karma's face bit too close to hers. Her face reddened, but she barely processed this in her mind, taking in how smooth his skin looked, how his golden eyes brightened with relief, and how his hands caressed her cheek gingerly.

"Move it, lovebirds!" Kaede shouted from behind them, kicking Karma aside and enveloping Nagisa into a hug without a second thought for the glowering demon behind her. "You freaked us out when you passed out like that! Sleep deprivation, seriously?!"

"You found out about that?" Nagisa asked sheepishly, noticing a few more of their sleeping classmates on chairs or piled on the bed beside hers. "I was up late studying." she lied, "That's why I was so out of it during the match. Sorry if I made you guys think I was dying by that fall or something."

Nagisa gave a nervous laugh, hoping they weren't mad. She used her left hand to reach up and scratch her cheek as she often did when being sheepish, but she flinched at a sudden restriction. Her eyes followed to the dull throb and found her wrist wrapped in a cast. Her blue orbs grew wide as she examined it. "What happened?" her mind flashed back to that pain she felt in her hand when she hit the tree, but waited for someone to give a proper response.

Kaede went first. "Your wrist was crushed when it slammed against the tree, especially since it was injured bit when coming in contact with some rocks on the way down." Karma followed, "Doc. said you'd be wearing the cast for about a month."

Nagisa's right hand flew to her mouth as the news sunk in. Sure, her left hand wasn't her dominant hand, but the piano made it so that both hands got their fair share of notes. Her performance was in just a little over month- practice time was too limited! And what would her mother say? Her father who expected nothing but perfection? Her brother who'd stare at her with judging eyes? Panic flooded her veins, but she tried not to make it too evident. Instead, she faked a smile like usual and laughed. "At least it wasn't my dominant hand."

She looked over and noticed the remaining classmates who were sleeping included Megu Kataoka, Rio, and Ryoma. She tilted her head and looked at them for an explanation, to which Karma provided, "Nakamura's here on behalf of the rest of the class, Kataoka-San is class rep. so she found it her responsibility, and this guy wanted to apologize." the last bit made Karma snarl a bit, but Nagisa touched his arm to calm him down.

To Nagisa, he had no reason to apologize. Anyone smart enough would take advantage of anyone who was out of focus, especially during a battle. It was Nagisa's own fault for not giving in the first time, and instead causing herself to land in the hospital. She told the two to wake them up and tell them it's okay to go home since they were so sleepy.

Ryoma continued to look a bit guilty, but his tough pride made him unable to apologize again, which was perfectly fine to Nagisa. Rio gave the smaller girl a hug accompanied with some dramatic tears before pulling Megu out with her. The remaining trio gave a laugh at the pair of girls, then Nagisa asked if they contacted her mother.

"No, they couldn't connect with her." Kaede frowned. Nagisa shook her head and reminded her, "My mom has an important meeting in the next city, it's expected that her phone wouldn't be on."

Instead of explaining anything else, Nagisa reached for her phone which had been kept in the bag hanging by the bed. She couldn't tell if it was annoying or a little pleasant that Gakushuu had called and texted so many times. Kaede said she'd alert the nurse that she was awake, and Karma went to go buy her some snacks, leaving Nagisa alone for a bit after they noticed all the missed calls and texts. Luckily, they didn't see the name, but they knew she needed some time to read through them. Kaede had returned moments later, which postponed her readings so the nurse could check on her, but after that, Kaede volunteered to go get some drinks. Then, Nagisa scrolled through the mountain of messages.

"Where are you?"

"I'm waiting. Dad has another meeting."

"I'm at the gates by the mountain."

"Hurry up, I'm tired!"

"Answer me!"

"Nagisa! If you don't answer, I'm not buying your promised cheesecake!"

"Nagi!"

"NAGI!"

"NAGISA!"

"NAGISA SHIOTA ASANO ANSWER THE PHONE RIGHT NWO!"

Nagisa knew she'd be in trouble she moment she realized he had gone to her full name, and even misspelling two word. A total of ten missed calls and over fifteen texts wasn't the biggest Nagisa had ever seen, but it was still an impressive number. Checking the time, Nagisa quickly realized why he had panicked so much. It was almost nine at night! It didn't matter if he cared about her well-being or not, but being unable to provide her location and reason for their parents to know was going to lead to the fall of them both.

The moment Karma came back, Nagisa shot up from the bed and grabbed her stuff. "Does a parent need to sign me out?" Karma, probably already understanding her rush, simply put the snacks in her bag and shrugged. "I think so."

Right. Karma always treated his own wounds. Rolling her eyes, Nagisa told him to hurry home. "I'll text you later, but I need to rush. Tell Kaede for me too, please!" Before Karma managed any words out for a response, she bolted down the hall, but she didn't go to the elevator. Instead, she locked herself in the bathroom and called Gakushuu. She just hoped no one randomly came in.

"Finally!" he roared on the other end. "What's wrong with you?!"

"Just listen to me!" Nagisa groaned, not in the mood to deal with his rage at the moment. "Get Dad down here so he can sign some papers for me."

Gakushuu dropped his rage. For now. "Where are you?"

"The hospita-

Nagisa stared at her screen in disbelief when realizing Gakushuu had just hung up on her. Irritated enough, she mumbled, "he better bring him."

Half an hour later, Nagisa confirmed Kaede's and Karma's leave and went down to the front of the hospital where she spotted her stepbrother and stepfather signing the papers needed to release her. She gulped, not mentally prepared to face them at the moment. Though, before she could even consider turning back to hide in the bathroom, Gakushuu noticed her and called out her name, causing Gakuho to turn to her. Shivers ran up her spine as she awkwardly turned to look at them. She offered the lamest excuse of a calm, polite smile and said, "H-Hello, Father, Shuu..."

* * *

That drive was the awkwardest thing Nagisa had ever sat through. Gakushuu sat in the passenger seat which left her alone in the back, unguarded for any upcoming questions.

"What happened?" Gakuho asked once they got a bit closer to the neighborhood. Nagisa lifted her arm lifelessly and shook it, trying to find the courage to speak up and sound normal. "Sparring. I got unfocused and broke my wrist." Or twisted. No one had ever clarified that to her, so she guessed. And frankly, she had to tell herself that it was easier to explain to him as a parent since both Gakuho and Gakushuu knew of the assassination. Though, from the way their father's eyes shifted to the rear view mirror to look at the cast, he wasn't exactly pleased.

"How long?"

"...About a month." Nagisa answered after a while, trying to remember the bits and pieces she picked up from the nurse. She braced herself for whatever was coming, and she wasn't caught off guard. "You allowed yourself to be distracted? You, yourself, pushed yourself into a tree and broke your own wrist? How careless could you be?"

"I'm sorry." Nagisa mumbled. His words weren't loud, but there was such coldness of undeniable anger seeping through that made it just as terrifying. Nagisa felt the shivers slither up her spine and she tried to distract herself by playing with the material on her cast. Then realization caught up with their father. "Piano. How will you practice?"

Nagisa's eyes lit up with terror. She hadn't had the chance to think that one out yet, so she tried to make excuses. She could only hope he'd buy them for the meantime. "I learned the whole piece last night! I just needed to tweak it a bit, I mean, I could just constantly listen to it, and I'll be set by the time my cast gets off."

"You better. And I expect you in the top three scoring for midterms." Gakushuu didn't look at his sister, knowing her gaze was on their father's as he looked at her through the mirror again. "I'll never accept failure as an option, Nagisa. You'll perfect the piece, with the cast or not. We aren't cancelling your performance. This is no excuse to perform as badly as before, and instead, you should be more focused on your studies now. Don't disappoint me."

"Yes, Dad." Nagisa lowered her gaze and accepted defeat.

When they got home, Nagisa texted Karma and Kaede to let them know she got back home safely, and went upstairs to shower and change. Her mood had dampened considerably through the day, and she just wanted to eat and go to bed, but of course, she had to finish her homework above all. Their dad was already disappointed in her actions, so she couldn't mess up the chance she's given for midterms. Downstairs, her brother had already started eating without her, and their father was nowhere in sight. By now, these kind of things weren't unusual, so she simply took her set and began eating the meal that had already grown cold.

Sometimes, during dinner, Nagisa and Gakushuu would talk about little things like their classmates and funny moments that had gone on, more on Nagisa's side than anything. Tonight was not one of those nights. The atmosphere was awkward and kind of clod, but that might've been the food. Finally, Nagisa said, "Sorry for not answering your calls."

Gakushuu shrugged and shook his head. "Heard you were unconscious." Nagisa nodded, but had nothing else to say. Rather, her mind seemed to block out any topic they could've spoken about, as though saying it wasn't the right time to talk to him.

 _Are siblings like this?_ She wondered. Awkward around each other constantly, and always so careful to put on a mask of superiority? The families she had seen on TV were very different. Everyone was free with each other, and brothers and sisters fought over the most trivial things, and helped each other whenever they needed it. Siblings tattled on each other, and teased each other, but all with a light heart. On the contrary, the relationship between the two students were very strict. They spoke at a limit that labelled them a little more than acquaintances, but they were anything but free in front of each other, seeing each other like a professional judge.

Gakushuu stood from his seat to put his dishes away and retreated to his room wordlessly.

Nagisa set her fork down after a few bites, suddenly losing her appetite. _I'm supposed to be used to this, so why feel bad now?_ She asked herself, feeling her throat tighten. She hated being yelled at and pressure seemed to grow unstoppably. With all honesty, she wasn't all too excited when learning her mother was in a relationship. Deep in her heart, she still wanted her parents back together, but when she was forced to come to terms with it, she believed that having a new little brother was going to make things better. Until she learned that he was actually her age and that he was one of the deadliest threats to her class.

Nagisa sat in the music room, staring at the sheets of music she had left on the stand. She placed her fingers on the keys and bitterly stared at her left hand which couldn't even hold itself in correct posture.

One note. She played one note before drawing her hand back and feeling her bones throbbing under the cast. She really couldn't play piano. And for a whole month? The mere thought was absurd.

The frustration built up within Nagisa exposed itself as she shrieked at the piano, her vision blurring until she was no longer able to see the notes she couldn't play. Her hands slammed onto random keys, creating a distorted melody of disrepair. Her entire world was suddenly becoming too much for her to handle. She hadn't even been in the top ten of the overall scores before, and suddenly she was required to at least become third? To match that insanely studious brother, and the genius she never matched, Karma? It was all too much, and now, she didn't know how much longer she'd hold up.

Gakushuu stood by the doorway, watching as the papers flew all around the room. Tears stained her now red face as she continued to hit some of the other keys with her right hand, her left hand simply sitting in the same position on the white keys. He watched as she stopped her tantrum and went back to limply crying, wails of despair slipping from her mouth. Unable to come up with a way to actually comfort his sister, Gakushuu waited until she fell asleep from exhaustion, then he lifted her up, feeling the remains of her tears wet the back of his shirt.

"Karma..." he heard her whimper as she buried her face into his broad back. He gave her a weird look as he climbed the stairs and shook his head, a comedic bitterness for being compared to his number one enemy. "I still don't understand what you see in such a guy. And for the record, I am nothing like him."

 _Well, it should be fine._ He thought to himself. _The moment she has to tell him I'm the brother he has to get approval from, he'll be done for._

Gakushuu opened the door to her room which was painted a pastel blue, and he laid her down under the covers. "You're such a crybaby." he murmured, reaching for a tissue on her bedside table to clean her face. "I've done this for almost fourteen years more than you. You don't get to complain."

Gakushuu paused and wondered why bother with such a brotherly thing? It had to be guilt. Unlike him, she received no special tutors at a young age, so of course it was hard to match up to him. He tried to reason with himself before standing up and heading for the door, making sure to close it with the faintest sound.

"Goodnight, Nagi."

* * *

 **Done! Okay, so I know this chapter is kinda vague like, no real resolution or climax... I think? Anyways, there is a part 2! That'll be posted hopefully by next week cuz I'M ON BREAK GUYYYSSSSS! Anyways, love ya'll for liking this story, and I'll try to please everyone for this story! XD**

 **Definition of Rina's (my) break: Wake up, stretch, eat, write, write, eat, write, do a sit-up out of guilt for lack of exercise, eat like fifty chip bags after telling myself to go eat the healthy strawberries in the fridge, write, eat, write, curl up, hiss, sleep, repeat.**

 **I will see you all after being removed forcibly from my little cave :3**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back! Yaayyy! So here's part two! Hope ya'll enjoy!**

 **I know there literally has been zero Kaede x Gakushuu, but don't fear! It'll be incorporated into the next chapter. Also, I apologize for my spelling errors. They irk me to death when I miss them, mainly cuz my A key is being mean.**

 **I don't own Ansatsu**

 **Reviews:**

 **TheRealRedDevil: I like the questions you're asking, but I'm not letting everything go juusst yet ;) but I'll have to agree that we'll all be curious about how Karma'll react. But for noww...**

 **KarmagisaAllTheWay (BTW, luv your name XD): I like your predictions, but who knows? :P**

 **lilliannak: With all honesty, I haven't broken a bone before either. I'm trying to go off of what I've witnessed or heard of the experience and hope it gets through these chapters accordingly lol.**

 **THANK U THANK U SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED I LOVE YOU ALL FOR NOT PASSING BY THIS STORY! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO APPRECIATE MY WRITING STYLE EVEN IF THERE'S LESS DIALOGUE (Guest person, I'm lookin at ya) ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Even the Saddest of Songs Find Resolve Pt. 2

When Nagisa awoke, there was a lingering question poking at the back of her head as she went down the flight of stairs, adjusting her tie and tucking in her shirt. She kept trying to wonder what it was, recalling the events of the previous day, then she stopped at the entrance to the music room. Right, she had thrown a tantrum, but then what?

"How did I get upstairs?" she mumbled quizzically, finally finding the question she had been looking for. Oddly enough, the papers she threw everywhere was neatly placed back onto the piano stand and everything was as it was supposed to be. Almost as though she really hadn't gone a step towards insanity.

"Morning." Nagisa snapped her head around and found the violinist alone at the table, eating his breakfast. Her own breakfast was placed at the spot in front of him, waiting. Nagisa slowly took her seat, eyeing him suspiciously. In return, the academically more dominant brother lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

"Did you touch the music room?" she asked, mumbling a bit. If he had seen her break down like that, it would've been never ending humiliation from him. Nagisa was so sure he would've teased her about not being able to handle the pressure, or something like. He lied and claimed that he didn't, hoping she'd pass off the entire ordeal as a dream.

Nagisa felt a little of the weight slide off her chest when she heard that, and she began to eat, doing just as he predicted. She noticed the cast making her movements more restricted than she liked, but put up with it for the sake of acting normal. And thankfully, it worked. Her wrist wasn't brought up at all, and the coldness from the previous night seemed to have evaporated to nonexistence. Gakushuu told her how their dad didn't have a meeting, but Gakushuu himself had student council activities that their dad usually monitored, so she would've been free to go play with her friends. Apparently he was stuck going home, and probably to the grocery store, with their dad to get stuff for dinner. Nagisa spoke about how she wanted to bake something later and if he could pick up some ingredients when they stopped by the grocery store. The way they spoke wasn't robotic, but it wasn't like they were doing this for the sake of speaking to each other either. Making excuses in their minds to explain why they were telling each other this "so I won't have to walk her home" or so "I can get my stuff conveniently". Overall, they convinced themselves that they weren't speaking for the sake of making themselves less awkward.

When the clock was nearing an appropriate time to start going to school, Nagisa stood from her spot in the large dining table, ready to put her plate up. "Tomorrow afternoon." he said suddenly. "Tomorrow afternoon I don't have anything, so I'll... study with you." the decrescendo of Gakushuu's voice quickly turned into mumbles. His sister looked at him weirdly before understanding what he meant, her eyes growing large and bright.

"Seriously?"

Gakushuu, not wishing to further embarrass himself, simply nodded and watched her energetically skip up the stairs. When she was no longer in sight, he slammed his head onto the table. "Why am I doing this?" he asked himself, even whining a little. He had no obligation to, nor was he requested to, but he was offering help? To a Class-E girl nonetheless, even if it was his sister!

Meanwhile, Nagisa was upstairs gathering her things as she wondered exactly why he was offering her help. Because she was his sister? Because he took pity on her because she has handicapped at the moment? Because of their father's pressure on such a lower class student? Or maybe it was all? Either way, Nagisa found it as a great opportunity, and she wasn't going to sacrifice it for pride, no, that was the job of Gakushuu, Karma, and just about almost every other Class A and E student she knew. Wars got real petty in between those two classes.

* * *

"Na-Gi-Sa!" Karma sang the moment she entered the classroom. His eyes were smiling suspiciously and his tone was sickly sweet. Nagisa cautiously tried to look around for an explanation, but it seemed that no one had the guts to meet her gaze, not even Kaede. Gulping, Nagisa tried to step back, but Karma was already close enough to pull her inside the classroom.

"Nope! I'm still too young to die!" she cried out meekly as Karma pulled her to the back of the classroom. Karma laughed at her reaction before ruffling her hair fondly. "Relax, I'm not hurting you." Nagisa interpreted this the wrong way and proceeded to shout, "I refuse to become an accomplice, Karma!"

Karma gasped and dramatically placed a hand over his heart. "How rude! But, that isn't it."

Now looking around, Nagisa realized that everyone was avoiding her gazes, but their cheeks were red and their mouths were kept shut awkwardly. After a moment of analysis, Nagisa came to realize that they were holding back laughter! Her mouth fell open, ready to demand what was going on, until Karma advised her to look at him. Like magic, a little bouquet appeared from his sleeve and was placed into her hands. Confused, Nagisa looked from the set of different colored tulips to the boy who handed them to her. "What's all this?"

"They're get well gifts!" Rio called from the front. Finally, everyone released their laughter and grins, showering her in sweets and small plushies, and Koro-Sensei even gave her a box of get-well chocolates from France. "We all wanted to get you stuff, but Karma was so persistent to go first. It was so cute!"

Karma tried not to express the humiliation he was feeling by Rio, and instead, pulled the blonde into a headlock. "You weren't supposed to say anything, now were you?" he asked threateningly with the simplest smile on his face. The female prankster gulped. "No, sorry, sir..."

Nagisa watched as everyone laughed at the duo, her own smile crossing her features as she hugged all of the items closer to her. "Thank you! You're all so sweet!" Everyone cooed at Nagisa's pure reaction and began to chat about what would need to be able to do everything normally, to which she attempted to reassure them that nothing was really needed.

"Seriously, guys, I'm fine!" she assured, finding all the attention a little embarrassing. "I can still do everything normally since it wasn't my dominant hand. I'll have to sit out during PE, and I think I can manage using a gun with one hand, but close combat is out of the question."

"Alrighty, people, let's leave our shy little princess alone!" Karma called out, shooing everyone away as the bell rang. Rio jokingly accused him of being jealous which lead to an embarrassed Karma who sat at the back all too quietly. Some predicted that he was plotting Rio's murder.

Nagisa felt incredibly bored as she watched everyone playing games during PE. They were using the forest this time and actually stopped sparring. Instead, they were playing with the paintball guns and shooting for Karasuma-Sensei. While she was grateful for all their concern and stuff, she truly was going to feel a little left out. PE was always fun and exciting, and the most energizing period of the day, but instead it felt like first period. Tiresome and unfocused.

The weight wrapped around her arm was nothing but a burden. She couldn't do anything with it even though people needed her. As much as she hated to admit it, no amount of flattery or gifts would've been able to change that fact. Just with an injury in such a minor place, she had to technically withdraw from the assassination for an entire month. That in itself was a total defeat.

Deciding to pass time quietly, Nagisa played with some grass blades beside her, twisting them, and weaving them around randomly until she sensed another presence near. Looking up, blue orbs clashed with honey golden ones. Nagisa couldn't help but feel a bit relieved when he came over and sat down beside her. He took the braided grass braids from her hand and held them up to the light as though he's something with it.

"Karma, you aren't playing?" she asked, picking another few blades to weave around. Her crush shook his head with a faint grin on his face like always. "Nah. I figured you'd be lonely up here."

Another annoying thing about Karma: he always knew what was going on with her. With her mood, anyways. It sometimes irked Nagisa since she could barely read him at all, only able to call him out for his obvious acts of mischief. He seemed to see through her like glass, but the way he smiled versus the way his eyes looked always threw Nagisa off guard, and she couldn't do anything at all. If anything, Karma was like looking through a glass of cold coffee. Murky and close to impossible alone.

"I'm not." she lied. "Go play. You're way too competitive to drop out of the game."

"Nope! I've already made up my mind!" without hesitation, Karma moved her arms out of the way and rested his head on her lap, which caused Nagisa to turn as red as his hair. "What are you doing?!"

Karma provided no response except an obviously fake snore. "That tickles." she tried, but of course, he didn't budge. Giving up, she just left him there and continued to play with blades of grass. _Karma's being oddly sweet today_ , she observed. Nagisa looked back down at him to see if she could talk to him about it then realized that he had truly fallen asleep. His mouth was opened slightly and his breathing was a steady beat. He looked so unguarded and relaxed that Nagisa couldn't help but stare with that small smile on her face. _He's kinda cute like this too._ She noted, brushing some strands of red from his face.

"Sometimes, I wonder what you think about." she whispered, watching his peaceful face as he shifted in his sleep. This moment when it was just them in the midst of the silence, out in the nice weather, just being safe with each other. These were the kind of moments Nagisa found precious. She wished these moments were more common, and not just with Karma. To be able to feel comfortable with her real father, to relax and act foolishly around her mother, to feel like she didn't need someone else in the room to not make things awkward with her stepfather, and to actually rely on her stepbrother, not just those periodic times when they showed that they had each other's backs just because the consequence would've affected them both. Nagisa had wished for it to happen all the time, but fate never gave her any leeway. Thinking for a moment, Nagisa wondered if that was why she found herself loving Karma. He pulled her on adventures, made her feel safe, made her feel like she could rant on forever to him and he wouldn't repeat a word of it to anyone else. He was a delinquent, but Nagisa knew he was a lot kinder than what people made him out to be. He was her best friend, one of the most trustworthy people on earth, and her first love. He was an amazing guy who outsmarted everyone else.

"I like to think of the millions of ways I can take over the world."

The moment was over when Nagisa, startled by Karma's sudden awakening, stood up and let Karma fall onto the ground below. He let out a groan of pain, rubbing his head. "Was not expecting that."

"You were awake?" Nagisa shrieked, her ears red as she remembered the way she had been staring at him so fondly and lovingly. If he had seen her, then her entire world was over. Done for. Though Karma didn't seem to act like he had seen her staring at him, but as proven by his mysterious awakening, he was spontaneous. She continued to eye him, a feeling of dread pooling at the pit of her stomach.

They spotted the rest of their classmates beginning to head back into the building, so Nagisa started to gather up her things, hoping to just let the whole thing pass. Karma watched as she did so, then smirked. "By the way, Nagisa, I didn't know my face was so beautiful. Captivated?"

Something snapped.

* * *

"So the answer is thirteen?" Nagisa circled the result of her work with glimmering eyes. She understood it! And the way Gakushuu explained things made it super easy to absorb. She watched as he looked over her work before giving a small nod of approval. Now, Nagisa was starting to feel a little more comfortable with the materials.

Gakushuu had been doing this type of thing- studying the moment he got home until he went to bed- for much longer than Nagisa had been. Granted, she had started today, but she was doing considerably well. Determination was held in her eyes as she copied down formulas over and over again. Maybe it was the fact that she was studying with someone who actually focused, but Nagisa suddenly found studying fun. Or maybe it was the way Gakushuu had managed to tweak the methods to make it fun for them to learn. Nagisa briefly wondered if this was how he managed to learn all of his songs with less practice than she.

"You're doing well enough in English, so we'll skip over that for now. Tomorrow we'll go back to maths, but at the moment you're ahead of everyone else's comprehension since we've been spending five hours on it." Nagisa didn't know how he managed to let time slip by so easily with studying, but it happened, and Nagisa was feeling rather proud of herself. Just hearing that she was ahead of everyone else by a little bit made her eyes light up with expectations before she had to remind herself that she was still far from where she needed to be.

"Shuu, you're kind of like teacher." she dared to say, trying to hold back her laughter at the expression he gave her in response. "What?"

"You explain things so easily. My alien of a teacher can explain things well, but as expected, it's better with a complete one on one where we focus on my bad subjects longer than others. Especially since it's so quiet." Nagisa elaborated. They'd been hiding out in his room the entire time since they got back, and Nagisa found it the interior a lot less complex that she had imagined. People had always been talking about how he could play a bunch of sports, guitar, etc. (seemed like he kept violin a secret though), so she expected a bunch of equipment, but his room was pretty simple. There was his bed which was king-sized like hers, the main color of the room was beige, and he only had a bookshelf, desk, his closet, and his trophy case with everything else. Well, considering they had their own music room and a storage in the backyard, there was little of anything else left to put around the room. However, Nagisa did spot the picture of their family sitting atop the bookshelf. It was something their parents told them they had to have, so Nagisa also had one on her bedside table.

"That's the definition of a tutor." he responded, hitting her lightly with the folders as he took out their history textbook and continued to help his sister.

Only taking breaks for dinner, the pair continued to study until the weekend before midterms. It became habitual to the point where Nagisa no longer struggled in class and found herself amazed at her quiz scores. Even when she and the others went out to study at the local library, she found herself already knowledgeable over just about everything they covered.

"Don't worry. With this you should at least get into the top five." Gakushuu had told her when they were reviewing in the living room. Nagisa's mouth dropped as she looked at him. "But I need to be in the top three!"

"Gakushuu." both of the teenagers felt the shivers run up their spines as they realized that their father had been standing behind them. Originally coming for a glass of water, he had noticed them studying and investigated. "Nagisa's right. I expect you to get your sister into the top three. When did I ever teach you to be satisfied with the general area?"

"Never." Gakushuu mumbled as though he were a child. Nagisa almost felt pity until she remembered that she was a part of this equation too. "I'll perform my best, Father." she tried to smile as her mother came into the picture. She looked elated when she saw the review papers on the table and shook Nagisa's shoulders. "When you get your exam scores back, we should go out to celebrate! I bought you new dresses and- _oh!_ I could do your hair!" Gakushuu could only watch his stepmother fawning over Nagisa, whose expression grew dimmer at the mention of each spa her mother listed off.

"Of course, Mother!" One thing was for sure. Nagisa's acting was much better than Gakushuu's. The way she smiled almost seemed real, then he reminded himself that like him, she'd been fighting her own parental battles.

Nagisa turned towards the unopened music room. For an entire week, she hadn't been able to go inside. She hadn't touched the piano, or sat at the bench, admiring whatever view the windows had to offer. Instead, she'd periodically hear Gakushuu playing a warm melody as she reviewed class materials. He'd walk around the house, as though wanting her to listen to it. It was truly touching, and maybe a progression in their bond. And even if it wasn't for her, she couldn't help but feel thankful anyways. His music warmed her heart from her depressing thoughts and lifted her from her dismay when she stared at the cast.

"Hey," she called him as their parents finally left them alone, retreating to the master bedroom. "Finals are tomorrow. Could you play me something?" She requested shyly, not knowing how he'd respond to the request. At first she didn't hear a response, so she quickly tried to tell him to forget it, and that's when she realized her brother was no longer even in the room, and the door to the music room had been opened.

Not a minute later, a rich tone came from inside the room. It wasn't difficult like his other pieces, but this was more calming. The notes weren't necessarily low, but they weren't ear-piercingly high either. Nagisa couldn't resist to close her eyes and smile as she pictured the story that went along with the melody. The piece went on for two minutes before he stopped. Nagisa opened her eyes and glanced to him asking, "What's wrong?"

"I wrote it. But it isn't finished." he admitted, setting his instrument down. "I'll finish it next time."

Nagisa was still a little awkward around her brother, not knowing what to say and when to say it. Up until now, she had been saying anything, but every time she spoke, she'd be praying in the depths of her heart that it wasn't offensive or annoying. However, this time, without her heart racing, she managed to tell him, "It's a beautiful song."

* * *

Now, Nagisa sat in a room, her palms sweaty as the exams were being passed out. She blocked out all of the taunting that the main building students were trying to give her, too focused on the risks she was about to take. She had to finish the test, and finish it correctly if she was going to get third. That meant she had to outsmart the entire main building as well as the Five Virtuosos. Her hands were shaking the moment time started, but she constantly reminded herself to stay calm and remember what Gakushuu had taught her. He'd gone out of his way to tutor her when he could've been studying by himself. That's right, she should focus. She should calm down. She was tutored by one of the smartest students in the entire school. There was no way she was going to fail, even if her mind was spinning out of control.

 _Please don't let his efforts go to waste!_ Nagisa pleaded as her pencil hit the paper.

One week later, results were posted. Koro-Sensei hung up the list of names on the blackboard, and by the time Nagisa got to school, almost everyone was crowding it. Megu ran out of the crowd, bumping fists with Yuma. "It seems the majority of the class made it above the top fifty!"

Everyone seemed to be whispering about their ranks, and Nagisa moved forwards, hoping to see her own. She briefly wondered what everyone got as a rank, but continued to search for her name. She was briefly thankful that her mother was too busy to go through the process of sitting down and having to change her last name to Asano in the school records, so it should've just appeared as "Nagisa Shiota".

Then she spotted her name, and her blue orbs grew wide. Her mouth fell open with shock as she felt her throat tighten. She had studied day and night for the exams, and while she hadn't felt the stress then, it seemed that everything was finally catching up to her. She tried to put on the same mask she used around her mother. Look calm, soothing. Smile as though nothing was wrong. Laugh as though it didn't hurt, and swallow the reaction anyone gave her.

She couldn't let her surprise show. Nagisa had to remain indifferent, no matter the rank. After all, good or bad, _an Asano doesn't cry over grades._ At least that's the rule she'd been told to abide by.

* * *

"Why did you help your sister? So rare for you." Gakuho asked his son as he looked over the lift of ranks. His son sat in the chair in front of him, putting his hands in his lap with slight fear.

"No particular reason." he decided to answer. "But you were right. If she couldn't practice piano, she was expected to give her all in academics." He eyed the list in his father's hands and breathed in slight relief. He had been pulled from class to discuss the ranks which Gakushuu hadn't even seen yet. Though, the moment he spotted his name up at first, he felt relieved knowing the reason his father pulled him out was because of him. Then, his mind raced back to Nagisa.

 _Did she fail? No, there's no way. She knew everything on the review. Is she not in the Top Ten? I made her practice to cover every little detail we were taught! Did she not get into the Top Five? That seems more possible..._ Gakushuu lifted his head, his purple eyes widening with surprise. _Unless, she... actually made it into the Top Three?_

"Congratulations to you who made first, but that shouldn't come as a surprise by now." his father told him, looking through the list again. "Akabane's still in the Top Three, unfortunately."

Gakushuu waited for what seemed like an eternity to hear Nagisa's results. His heart raced, wondering if he'd get praised for raising her rank so highly, or punished for lowering it even more than it was. Even though the chairman hated Class-E getting top ranks, if she was in the family, she had to get the best grades possible.

"Your sister, Nagisa's, rank is placed-

* * *

 **BOOM! I did those cliffhangers I hate so much! TvT**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading! It's break time, so most likely I can have the next chapter up soon... hopefully.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Lil'RedHairedDevil : Thank you for reviewing! And I'm trying to make their relationship over at a realistic pace, but considering how this chapter went, I'm wondering if I even paced it correctly hehe.**

 **Guest: SAME haha**

 **TheRealRedDevil: Honestly, I'm glad I didn't make him a bad guy either. This is probably a fatal flaw in my writing (probably why I never finish my other original stories I secretly make) but I hate it when people (especially the main ones) are unreasonably mean, so I can never make them a sensible character in my writings :P**

 **lilliannak : Thank you for your support! And I know, the cliffhanger is something I struggled reading myself, and I'm the one who wrote it lol ^^**

 **KarmagisaAllTheWay: I'm sorry! Lol but don't worry, I think I'm gonna stray from cliffhangers for a while.**

 **Hemlata G: Thank you for your wonderful compliments, it made me smile! :D**

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 **So I'm trying to think up ideas for further chapters. I thought I had this planned out... nope. So, hopefully this chapter is satisfactory! ^^; sorry, guys. I'm also trying to experiment with some different writing style because mine is kind of frustrating, I don't know. It may not seem that different, but this might account for some slower updates.**

 **I don't own Assassination Classroom or any of the shows/movies I use for analogies.**

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Chapter 4: Focus, focus, focus!

"Congratulations to you both!" Hiromi gushed as the family clinked their glasses together. It was the night of the last day of school, and to celebrate Nagisa's spontaneous growth in grades, the family decided to go to a rather pricey restaurant. Though, it didn't seem that the mood was entirely pleasant.

As their parents chatted with wine at their hands, the two siblings exchanged awkward glances as they sipped the lemon water in their cups. Gakushuu didn't dare bring up the fact that he was worried for her grades earlier that week when their father called him into the office, nor did Nagisa tell him how she cried in the bathroom after seeing her results (whether it was out of joy or not was debatable). Nagisa's grades had grown spontaneously, but unfortunately, it didn't meet the standard she was held up to, but she was so close at fifth place and one point behind whoever scored fourth place.

"Thanks," Nagisa said instead. They didn't bring up topics like the reactions of their classmates, but it was definitely well-known that everyone was falling into chaos. Even though the siblings weren't speaking, they could tell just with a look that the other was offering some kind of form of comfort. They understood each other so well because it was uncanny to their own expressions they shot other people in the past.

Somehow, they managed to get Nagisa to fifth place, and even though it wasn't third place, Hiromi was convinced that it was enough of an improvement for now, and they let it be which gave relief to the kids.

Gakushuu offered a curt nod before taking a bite of the salmon he had ordered. Nagisa followed suit, and they both drowned out the other noises of their parents talking about their accomplishments, the silverware clinking against the dishes, only thinking about the peace they were now feeling. Finally, the hardest part was over. Now, they just needed to make sure Nagisa was prepared for her concert. Gakushuu's eyes narrowed towards the bulky asset on her arm before turning back to his food, ignoring her curious gaze that followed him.

* * *

The following morning, Gakushuu ran just about four miles before stopping by some place to grab breakfast. He had gotten up at the break of dawn before anyone else in the house woken just to get some alone time, and it was a little relaxing with the quiet streets and no stress. As far as he knew, his father was already out of the house to who knew where, his mother was out to work, and his older sister was still fast asleep.

He stretched a bit as he roamed the streets, cooling off as he took bite of his breakfast sandwich. The sky was an astonishing blue that morning and the slightly cool air was perfect for running. It was so calming that Gakushuu couldn't resist going down to the big lake at the end of their city to take a breather. It was always so calming to see the waves and hear them steadily rising against the pillars holding up the walkway he stood on. Only a few minutes after he arrived did he feel another lingering presence.

"Out for a jog as well?" Came a voice behind him. Gakushuu recognized that voice and turned on his heel. "Ren, you're up rather early."

The fellow Class-A student chuckled a bit, shrugging. "I have to maintain my perfect build! My family is attending another party and Kanzaki-San is going to be present. I must look my best!"

Gakushuu didn't know how to explain to his friend that the pretty girl of Class-E was probably not for him, so instead he just nodded along. Honestly, Ren had to be one of the nicer members of the Five Virtuosos. While he had little to do with shenanigans against Class-E, it had come across to Gakushuu that he might've been too obsessed with himself to bother. Either that or he was just a silent for the sake of respecting the class, but not making enemies of his own.

"Good luck with that." Gakushuu said at last, not particularly interested in the types of extravagant parties his friend attended.

Honestly, Gakushuu was more concerned about Nagisa's ability to play piano. He'd been playing professional recordings of it around the house so she'd remember, but how effective would it actually be when ratioed to the actual mobility of her fingers for accuracy? She could memorize the sound of the piece all she wanted, but that was it. Her fingers wouldn't know where to go on time, nor would they move fast enough with the lack of practice. Nagisa could only listen and ensure that she knew the general flow and the feeling she was supposed to give off when she played. Seriously thinking about it, the cast was definitely a serious hindrance to her progress.

Ren noticed the purple eyes of his friend growing more distant and grinned a bit before daring to mess up the perfect student's hair. He began running off, knowing perfectly well that Gakushuu was in no interest to hear of the parties, which was okay. "I'm gonna finish my jog!"

"Ah..." Gakushuu watched as his friend ran off, blinking with confusion. "Alright?"

"For such a cold guy, you sure don't cover up your feelings well."

Startled by the newcomer, Gakushuu whipped his head around with wide eyes, and greeting him back was none other than Class-E's Kaede Kayano. Before Gakushuu could even question her presence, she smiled at him. It was a simple smile with no ill-intentions or malice, totally catching the honor student off guard. "Hello!"

His eyes showed distrust and suspicion. Then again, who in their right mind was ready to trust a member of the enemy's group who was, might he add, sitting up in a tree? Certainly not him. At least, not yet. Especially with Class-E. He had found compatibility with enough Class-E students. She was not about to become another one. "What're you doing here, Class-E student?"

Kaede frowned and leaped from the tree, her sporty clothes making it easy for her to move. "Excuse me, Mr. Perfect, I have a name, and it's Kaede Kayano. Know it, after all I'm your sister's best friend. Well, best female friend."

Gakushuu tried to hide his surprise at the bomb she just dropped and narrowed his eyes. "Hypocritical thinking you have there. I also have a name, and I'm sure you know it." However, it didn't seem that Kaede was in the mood to speak about their names anymore.

"I bet you're wondering how I know about you two." she didn't wait for him to interrupt. "When I saw all those messages, I was wondering who'd be texting her so much with worry when her mother wasn't home. Then, I saw you guys signing her out of the hospital. At first, I was confused, but little by little I was able to piece things together, especially after she scored so highly on her tests without anyone's help. Be thankful Karma's still oblivious though."

Gakushuu stared at the girl who had on an innocent smile. She practically gave away the fact that she was a lot smarter than she let anyone know, but why? Why was she going through the trouble of exposing that talent in front of him? One might've assumed it was to get the son of the chairman to notice her true intelligence and move her up a couple classes, but Gakushuu understood the aspects of Class-E more than most expected. He knew they were assassinating their teacher, who was a kind and diligent teacher. Everyone was currently content in that class. Not to mention, he had witnessed the very same girl trash his father's office just to get into Class-E, so why?

"I suppose it was something like a secret, but it's not like we'd be critically hit if it got out." Okay, that was a lie. He'd most likely be thought badly of even if his father tried to calm the uproar of a Class-A and a Class-E student being siblings. No doubt Nagisa would've been hurt as well, seen as a traitor by her class for so easily getting along with a Class-A student, even though _they didn't know anything_ about them. "So what's your intention of telling me this? Surely a person with such keen observation skills isn't interested in cheating off the next test?"

The girl with bright green hair grinned a bit before moving closer. She wasn't intruding any close boundaries, but Gakushuu was feeling a pit of anxiety growing within his stomach. "Of course not. But I do have a favor to ask of you."

"And I should comply because? You're Nagisa's friend whether you were acting or not, so I doubt you'd be willing to tattle." Gakushuu was able to see at least that much. This enigmatic Kaede was a girl based off of lies and deception, but she was a also a girl who found real friends within Class-E. That much was obvious to anyone who looked at her.

"True, but it's simple. I'm not blackmailing or anything. Honestly, I was just curious if you'd admit to the situation. Something like, 'Class-E trash like that will never be my sister!' or something. You guys really get along?" rather than taunting it seemed she was genuinely curious and surprised. Gakushuu found himself answering before he could actually think it over.

"We get along somewhat. Stupid clashes in the house is bothersome to our parents and ourselves. We just save the energy." The boy with orange hair covered his mouth a little wondering to himself why he was offering such information so freely. Even Kaede didn't seem to understand his actions, showing a brief look of surprise before inviting herself to join him by the railing.

"Oh, really? You're not just warming up to her?" Kaede grinned, reverting back to the teasing ball of energy that was known to all. Her cool aura of enigma was gone and replaced by something far more carefree. "What about duets? You play violin right? And Nagisa plays piano. Haven't your parents made you play together before?"

Gakushuu was slowly beginning to put his shield back up. "How much do you know about us? And why?" No one had ever known about the two of them being siblings or classical musicians. They had never told it to anyone, and they knew the main building kids were more focused on their textbooks to take the time to drive down to the music hall and miraculously attend their performance. The Class-E kids were also busy with their assassination. But maybe this girl had seen them. Maybe she had seen Nagisa playing that time she played Beethoven so fluently at the music hall, a time that Gakushuu didn't hear her music. Had she seen him those times we participated in competitions and won? Was that possible?

"Yep, I sound totally creepy." Kaede laughed, throwing her head back. She opened her honey colored eyes widely before elaborating on her broad knowledge. "Nagisa is always tapping her fingers on her desk in some sort of pattern when she's bored. I've observed enough to know that she plays an instrument, and the way she moves seem to direct her skill towards piano. It's nothing stalkerish, really. Assassination skills just sharpened our senses, ya' know?"

Gakushuu wanted to ask about how she knew about him and about how no one else seemed to point out Nagisa with their "sharpened" assassination skills, but felt his pride yank his voice back from his throat. He wasn't trying to communicate with her more than she intended to. That wasn't how he worked. So, instead, he shortly nodded and began to move away, his body language telling her that he was going to leave.

"Tomorrow morning, nine. Here."

The genius looked at Kaede with confusion only to be met with a wide smile. "I'll answer more of your unasked questions, m'kay? See you, then." Kaede, too, began to walk away from their little conversation. Their interaction was something frowned upon, yet Gakushuu didn't feel a sense of hostility despite her chilling aura. It seemed so similar to the one he tended to use in public, as well as Nagisa's when they were in the presence of their parents. Maybe that familiarity was what allowed him to release a breath.

"It shouldn't be something I'm investing in." Gakushuu murmured to himself, running a hand through his hair as he began to jog back home. He had no obligation to join her the following day. He was the Class-A student, so if anything, he should've been the one to say whether they met again or not. And naturally, he wouldn't want them to.

But in the end, Gakushuu found himself staring down at the water once more. Behind him, a shadow loomed. "Morning!"

* * *

"Karma, you're outside? Willingly?" That was the first thing Nagisa said to her best friend when she answered his call. Sounds of chattering people hinted him to be on the streets, but the reason why was still unknown. Karma never really went outside unless someone invited him out or for food. In the background, Nagisa heard some familiar voices, but as to who they belonged to were still a mystery. The redhead on the other end hummed in confirmation. "Yeah, I'm out with Okuda and Takabayashi."

It was an odd trio, Nagisa noticed, but a deadly one nonetheless. She tried to push aside that childish tinge of jealousy when hearing he was with the adorable purple-eyed chemist and laughed lightly, reminding herself that it wasn't just them. "Please tell me you aren't going to poison us all."

Karma released a laugh himself and Nagisa practically saw that devilish smirk light up on his face. "Of course not!" he paused, his voice growing quieter as he murmured, "and even if I was, why would I tell you?"

Nagisa frowned and narrowed her eyes at the screen, obviously suspecting something about their meetup. She trusted Karma with her secrets, her problems (save for family ones though), and even her life, but that didn't mean she trusted him with any physical object. It was quite the opposite, actually. She might've been his best friend that was a girl, but he treated her like another guy, as saddening as it was. He treated her without precaution, rushing into things like diving off of cliffs, or out of an airplane without actually giving her time to think it over. If he was planning on "surprising" the people in their class, she had to be prepared no matter what. There was a chance he'd be courteous enough to not prank any of the girls, but that often excluded her. To him she was like "one of the guys". In other words, she was deep in the bro-zone. Hoping to save at least herself, she asked him for his whereabouts and reasons, hoping that she didn't sound as cautious as she felt.

"I'm out at the science museum. D'you know there's a chemical shop in here? It's great! I can make explosives and everything!" he exclaimed as though he was a child who had just won the golden ticket to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Nagisa thought over his words and wondered why she loved this boy again. "We should go together sometime! I was actually just out with Okuda 'cause she had an extra ticket. Her mom was supposed to go, but I guess she had work or something."

Nagisa listened to him talk about his day so far all while she was beginning to think, _what're the chances that Okuda lied just to-_

"That's really horrible." Nagisa scolded herself aloud by accident when she tried to remind herself that Manami was a really good girl. Karma made a sound of surprise and confusion and quickly asked, "What? That I asked for nitric acid and hydrazine? It's not like I can use it to kill Koro-sensei! Barely ignites, too..."

Nagisa blinked and realized that he hadn't stopped talking during her thought process. "Huh? No... well, I mean that's pretty bad too, but ignore that. I was just talking to myself."

"Oh. You okay?" he asked, his tone a little more serious than before. It was rare for Nagisa to be so deep into thought, after all. Even when Nagisa assured him it was fine, he sounded cautious. If only he knew the things running through her head, he might've been a little less concerned for her well-being and more concerned for her sanity. Nagisa hated those kind of jealous thoughts, but apparently it came with the "love" package.

Nagisa ended the phone call when Gakushuu returned home, reassuring him once more that she was fine. Gakushuu stared at her when Karma released a loud shout at her as she ended the call. "What?"

"Jealousy, dissatisfaction, and... chemicals? Must I say any more?" Nagisa sighed before shoving her phone into her pocket. That explanation didn't help at all, but figuring that it had to do something with Karma being completely oblivious to her feelings, he let it go. As usual, the house was mostly silent as their parents were already back up and working despite it only being two days after the break started so it was Gakushuu's job to take her for a check-up to determine the fate of her wrist.

"Maybe we really should just cancel your performance." Gakushuu murmured, his gaze following the cast that was still around her arm when she went to closes the front door behind them. Nagisa snapped her head upwards. "Why, all of a sudden?"

"Even if we get your cast off in time, it won't end well. You've been able to master the right hand part, but the left hand parts are what set the mood. Without practice it won't be perfect." Gakushu clenched his fists when he remembered the famous words his father had recited to him over and over again. "We may be siblings, but never forget what's important. You're an Asano now, so only perfection is accepted. Dad might've let the rankings thing pass since it was already a big jump, but you've had a knack for piano as long as Dad's known you, so he expects nothing less."

"... Am I disowned if I don't perform perfectly?" Nagisa asked, more jokingly. Gakushuu shrugged in response before locking their gazes together. "Never happened to me, but if it happens, I say you might as well be."

"Wha- that's so mean!"

Nagisa ran to catch up to her cheeky younger brother who had began to walk ahead of her. He stuck his tongue out with his ever-so-nonchalant expression and pulled down his cap. "Just kidding." It wasn't really a joke, but it was already too late to cancel now. They'd just have to hope for the best.

"Congrats!" The doctor entered the room the sibling duo had been advised to wait in. "You've been taking really good care of your arm and giving it the proper treatments, so it's just about healed!" The siblings took a moment to recall how Nagisa had slammed her injured wrist onto the piano far too many times, and how she insisted on participating in the assassinations against their father's wishes. Gakushuu looked ready to question the man before them, but Nagisa quickly shushed him. He was a professional doctor with the lab coat that showed his status and a clipboard that showed his authority. He had to know what he was saying... and even if he didn't, she'd have the cast off as soon as possible.

"You can have the cast off in about a week which is, if I heard correctly, two weeks before your big performance?" when the two nodded, he continued, "I still advise for you to not overwork your wrist as soon as you get the cast off. At most, you can't practice anything with the left hand for a week after getting the cast removed." Which meant only a week to practice. Luckily, for the prodigious siblings, time as long as a week was no issue. It allowed for the siblings to leave the hospital with accomplished smiles. "That's alright. We'll speak to our parents about when we'll get it removed. Thank you, Doctor!"

Later that night, the siblings were doing their winter break homework in Nagisa's room. Even though midterms had already passed, her grades weren't going to drop when they got back, so Gakushuu was making sure to watch over her. It was great that he was making her do her homework so early into the break since, without a doubt, she'd be hanging out with her friends more once they get deeper into break, and everything taught during the semester would turn into nothing but vague memories. When Nagisa was finished, she handed her workbook over to her brother who graded it.

"Well... you get an A for Neatness." he said in the most wary tone Nagisa'd ever heard from him. Her face turned red as she squeaked out, "according to what alphabet?!" and pushed him to retrieve her notebook without a second thought. Gakushuu, who had fallen onto the ground in the most ungraceful manner, sat up angrily. "Why'd you push me?!"

"You were being mean!" she argued back. They bickered back and forth over the subject like two children fighting over a toy. Minutes later, Nagisa was face-flat on her bed and Gakushuu was lying on the floor with his gaze to the ceiling. They had acted so out of character, and now both of them seemed to be reflecting over it. "We're being ridiculous."

"We are," Ngisa agreed before turning her head to face him with something like an elated smile. "But it's fun. Being siblings... isn't as bad as I thought. Even though we aren't exactly 'friends.'"

Gakushuu hadn't been expecting that confession. They'd always been so persistent on the fact that they were from different classes and that they'd only be nice to each other to save the trouble, but it seemed that Nagisa was mature enough to accept that they were slowly becoming accustomed to one another. It was kind of inevitable when they really thought about it. They were musically rivals, he was her tutor, she was something like a pillar to him. A bright light that helped him when the days were more stressful than anyone else'd ever realized.

"Yeah... for me too." They had yet to fully accept their family bond, but that was okay. They were moving at their own pace.

"Seriously though, how many questions were wrong on my assignment?" Nagisa inquired. She moved from her mattress and joined him at the little round table where their workbooks were. In actuality, she hadn't done that badly, but the little mistakes she made in the math section were impressive, in a bad way. Gakushuu had noticed that math was one of her weakest subjects too.

"I really hate math." Nagisa whined, closing her book. "We'll pick it back up tomorrow, so can you play that song you've been working on? Any progress?"

"Not really. But maybe arpeggios would be good next." he muttered as they descended the stairs. Nagisa looked at his expression and almost laughed at how closely his expression resembled Karma's when he was looking at sweets. It was kind of adorable.

"Yeah. I think a one octave arpeggio would sound lovely. I'm gonna practice my right hand stuff again." she agreed, breezing past him as he lazily reminded her to not overwork herself.

"It'll be fine! The right hand has the melody!" Nagisa grinned as she disappeared in the music room. By the time Gakushuu made it down the stairs, he heard the difficult melody ringing throughout the house. He held back from going inside and remained in the living room to think over her progress.

They had grown a lot closer after all the events regarding their academics and musicality. A lot closer than either of them had anticipated, and as much as they struggled to admit it, it was a little enjoyable. Sure, they had yet to open up about their actual personal lives, but the fact that they could understand each others moods and feelings regarding their struggling matters was enough for now. There was obviously a lot more on their minds than what they had discussed with each other, but there was still one bigger obstacle they had to face before being able to talk about idle things. Something a lot more important than difficult romances and friendships.

They had one week after her cast gets removed. He glanced at the now closed door to the music room and listened to what Nagisa was able to play so far. Her notes were accurate, and whatever emotions she could express with the right hand were pouring out. Emotions he didn't know the origins to, but emotions he had no time to ponder over. _One week_. His eyes were filled with determination as the emotional melody reached his ears. _We can do it._

 _One week._

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 **Okay... So, yeh, sorry guys. I'm experiencing something like writer's block, so this isn't a really well-planned chapter. I hoped you guys liked it anyways and I promise the next one will be better! At least, development wise...? At least, I hope so. ^/^ Thanks for reading you guys!**


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